(BSS/AFP) - Gunmen have killed at least 29 people in northeast Nigeria`s Adamawa state, the state governor said Monday, with locals saying the attackers targeted young people gathered at a football pitch.

Adamawa state is a hotspot for violence by jihadists and local criminal gangs known as bandits. Communal violence over conflict for land is also rife in the state.

Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri visited the scene of the Sunday attack and "confirmed that no fewer than 29 people were killed in a deadly attack on Guyaku community in Gombi Local Government Area," his spokesman said in a post on social media.

Local resident Philip Agabus told AFP that the attack occurred on Sunday afternoon when "our people converged at a football pitch in Guyaku community,... were attacked by insurgents who entered with guns and began shooting randomly".

The dead were "youths, including some ladies that were watching football," another local, Joshua Usman, told AFP.

"They also burnt places of worship, houses and motorcycles," added Usman.

The state governor`s office wrote that "the attackers operated for several hours, killing dozens of residents, burning places of worship, and destroying property including motorcycles", citing a local community leader, Aggrey Ali.

The motive of the attack was not immediately clear.